The Fate of an Outcast
by ShadowJolteon
Summary: After being stolen from her home by a Pokemon Hunter, a young Vulpix must learn who to trust and how to survive in human territory. Rated T for language. DEAD FIC
1. Nightmare

**Hi! It's ShadowJolteon here. This is my very first fanfiction and hopefully it won't suck. **

**Well, I really don't know what to put here. **

**Oh. Yeah. Disclaimer. No, I don't own Pokémon, but I do own all of the characters in here, unless I put someone's OC in here.  
Anyway, please read on!**

**~o****0****o~**

The Fate of an Outcast

Chapter 1 - Nightmare

"_Hey Amber, betcha can't catch me!" called out a Vulpix as he raced his sister through the bushes.  
_"_You're on, Pyro!" laughed Amber, running faster after him, gold fur flashing in the sunlight filtering through the trees._

_Darting through the leaves and long grass, they stopped only briefly to quickly apologize to an angry Bidoof before running again. After a moment of close pursuit, Pyro tripped on a tree root and stumbled._

"_Rawr!" yelled Amber, slamming into him and sending the two flying. The cubs play fought for a minute, Amber gnawing on Pyro's ear and Pyro pawing at Amber's shoulder._

_Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air. Amber and Pyro froze in fear as Pidgey and Starly erupted from the trees.  
_

"_W-what was that, Amber?" Pyro stammered.  
_"_I-I think it was those humans that Mom warned us about," she answered.  
_"_Haunters?"  
_"_Hunters. Pokémon hunters."__A dark shape loomed forward against the background of trees. Seeing it snapped them both out of the trance-like stage they were in.  
_"_Come on, Pyro! Run!"  
__Suddenly the dark shape made a motion, like it was throwing something.  
_"_Go, Carnivine!" it shouted.  
__There was a flash of light, and suddenly there was a large plant-thing standing before them.  
_"_Carna!" it cried out.  
_"_Run, Pyro!"  
_"_Vine Whip!"  
_"_Amber!"  
_"_Damnit, let go of me!"  
_"_Carn."  
_"_Amber!"  
_"_Run, Pyro!"  
_"_But-"  
_"_RUN!"_

_Amber watched sadly as her brother disappeared from view. That damn plant had ensnared her legs with Vine Whip so she couldn't run.  
_"_Well now, Carnivine. What have we caught this time?"  
_"_Nivine!"_

_The plant, or Carnivine, as it was called, brought her up to eye level. Amber smiled wickedly and let loose Ember at point-blank range._

_The evil-looking plant shrieked and clutched its "face" with the broad leaves at its sides. Amber continued spewing Ember and struggling to get free, but the grass-type simply wrapped more vines around her mouth and legs._

_The dark shape, or hunter, laughed and strode forward.  
_"_Well done, Carnivine. A shiny Vulpix. But I see we'll have to be careful with this one. Put it in one of the fire-proof cages, next to that Growlithe."_

"_Carna." It mumbled. The stupid plant was still nursing its burn from Ember.  
_"_Quit whining and put it in the truck. And hurry up. I saw a Cubone in that stand of trees earlier."_

**_~o__0__o~_**

"_Amber!"  
_"_No!"  
_"_Amber!"  
_"_No, Pyro! Run!"  
_"_Amber!"  
_"_Run!"  
_"_AMBER!"  
_"Aaak!"  
"Amber!"  
"Huh?" I shook my head to clear it and looked up. There in front of me was a Cubone.  
"Amber, are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned.  
"Yeah, I guess. I had that dream again." I explained.  
"Oh. The hunter?"  
"Yeah."I hung my head then looked up again and asked, "How bad was it this time, Kara?"

"Well, you were running in your sleep again, but I've never seen you use Ember like that before. You also kept mumbling 'Run, Pyro, run!' You wanna talk about it?"

"Pyro was my little brother. We were playing in the forest when that monster captured me," I muttered. "I kept telling him to run, but he didn't want to leave me. Eventually he left, though. Probably to get Mom."

"Oh Mew. That's so sad. He got away, though, right?"  
"Yeah. He got away." I sniffed. "Best little brother you could ask for."  
"I bet."

She walked over to the cage wall separating us and stuck her arm through the gap between the wires. I looked up. There, in her hand, was a Rawst berry. I stared at it. I _loved_ Rawst berries. I looked up at her.

"I know you love them," she explained. "I also know they make you feel better when you're sad."  
"Wow," I finally managed, taking the berry. "Thanks!"

"Hey, us Pokémon gotta stick together!" she answered with a smile, placing her arm on my shoulder.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and a human walked in. I think it was the same one who fed us that pellet crap. I don't know. They all look alike to me.

"Alright, come on," he said, picking up our cages. (At least I think it was a he)

"We might have some buyers for you."

**~o0o~**

**Well, I'm feeling happy. The first chapter is done. Amber and Kara are in Celadon City at this point in time, at the prize building.****I hope you enjoyed it, and I will update faster the more reviews I get.**

**Shadow out! bye!**


	2. Meowths, Prats, and Grovyles

**Hi! It's ShadowJolteon here. This is my very first fanfiction and it seems like we've made it to the second chapter! Woot!  
Yes, I'm a bit hyper right now.**

**Thank you KomodoDragoness, GRX3m0m, FireOkami-Kitsune, and Sora532 for reviewing!**

**This chapter sees both Amber and Kara meet their new trainers, but no, not the same one. Aww…**

**Disclaimer. Yes, I own Pokemon and will soon destroy the world with them. What do you think?  
****Anyway, please read on!  
**

**~o0o~  
**

The Fate of an Outcast

Chapter 2 – Meowths, Prats, and Grovyles**  
**

"We might have some buyers for you."

"Buyers?" I asked. "What does he mean by that?"

"Usually it's Pokemon trainers who've finally saved up enough money," answered Kara. "Other times it's collectors looking for rare Pokemon."

"So we're finally getting outta here?" I asked eagerly.  
"Maybe." She seemed a little worried.  
"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Well… Amber, there's no real guarantee that we'll be chosen." Now she was wringing her paws. "And if we are chosen, what if the trainer or collector or whatever isn't good to their Pokemon?" She was breathing really hard now.  
"What if they're abusive to their Pokemon? What if-"

I interrupted. "Kara?"

"Yeah?"  
"Did you know that you're hyperventilating?"  
"Wha-?" she said, then collapsed from oxygen deprivation. Wow. I never knew she was so anxious about this stuff.

"Alright guys, we're almost there."  
I glared up at the moron. "We're girls, damnit!"

"Quiet Fluffy. I know you're excited about the trainers, but you have to calm down."

"You call me Fluffy one more time, and I'll peel your skin off and roast you alive!" I snarled up at him.

"Hush, Fluffy."

I screamed in frustration.

Apparently, all he'd heard was "Vul, Vulpix, Vul!" And then a long and loud "VUULL!!"  
Stupid human.

In the other cage, Kara slowly sat up.  
"Uh, my head feels horrible… What happened?" she asked, holding her head.

"You were hyperventilating and passed out from lack of oxygen." I explained, trying to keep myself from growling at Dumbass. (My new name for the moronic human.)

"Uh huh... Why do you have a death glare on your face?" Apparently I'd failed.  
"Dumbass human called me Fluffy." I paused. "Twice."

She groaned. "Not again... You'd think he would learn. Last time he called you that, you bit his hand and broke two of his fingers."

I gagged. "He _really_ needs to cut down on the fried Pidgey. His blood tasted _horrible!_"

"Here it is, guys."  
I screamed again.

"Quiet, Fluffy."  
"Okay, you just made it to the top of the death list!"

I was spouting quite a lot of curses at Dumbass, when I was interrupted.

"How much for the Cubone?" It was a trainer standing in front of a big block of wood, a Meowth sitting on his shoulder and chewing on his hat.

And, just like magic, Kara started hyperventilating again.

"Let me see," said the human sitting behind the big block of wood. (Hey, I'm not good at human vocabulary.) "The Cubone would be 2,500 dollars, please."

The trainer whistled. "Wow. Am I glad I have Meowth!"  
"Meowth!"  
"Alright, I'll need to see your trainer license."  
"Okay."  
"Meowth."

I looked over at Kara. She seemed to have calmed down a little. Keyword: a little.  
"Kara?"  
"Aah!" No, my mistake, she hadn't calmed down at all.  
"Kara?" I tried again.  
"Um, yeah, Amber?"  
"Two words: Calm. Down."  
"Yeah, sorry…" she looked at her feet.  
"Hey, come on," I said, trying to cheer her up. "This guy sounds like a pretty good trainer."

"How do you know?"  
"Umm…" I fumbled for an answer. "Just Vulpix instinct, I guess."  
"Amber?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Did you know that you're a horrible liar?"  
"Couldn't think of anything else," I admitted.  
"Well, thanks for trying, anyway…"

I had an idea.  
"Hey, maybe we could talk to the Meowth."  
"Why?"  
"To ask it how he treats his Pokemon. It would make you feel better," I added.  
"I guess... But, still, what if-"  
"Then at least you'll know."

She nodded, looking relieved.  
"Okay. I'm sorry, it's just I hear so many stories..."  
"Hey, don't worry," I sympathized. "Half of those are made up."

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" said a very much unexpected voice.  
I screamed, and I think I must have jumped pretty high, because next thing I knew, I was on the floor of the cage holding my aching head.  
"Uuggghhhh..."

In the other cage, Kara looked really pissed off at the Meowth.  
"What the hell, man? I mean, just_ what_ exactly is your problem? You do know you scared both of us, right? Just _how soon_ do you want to die?"

A word of warning: Kara is extremely scary when she's mad. Do. Not. Mess. With. Her.

The Meowth looked a little unnerved.  
"Hey, I was standing there right in front of you for like ten seconds! It's not _my_ fault that you didn't notice me!"

Kara narrowed her eyes. "True... But you still could've given us a bit of warning!"

"I'm just not that kind of Pokemon, you know." He crossed his arms. "Where's the fun in telling someone that you're about to scare them?"

"You just signed a death warrant!" hissed Kara through the bars.

I almost felt sorry for the Meowth. Almost, but not quite.

"So what's your name, jerk?" I muttered, trying to sit up while still holding my head. It didn't work.

"Hey! I resent that remark!"  
"Don't you mean you _resemble_ that remark?" said Kara.

We're great at insulting people together.

The Meowth growled, obviously annoyed. "Fine! If you must know, my name is Charm." He said the last bit with his nose stuck up in the air. Conceited alley cat.

"So, _Charm_," I said sneering. "What's your trainer like?"  
"And just why do you want to know?"  
I motioned toward the still-hissing Kara. "So she can stop freaking out about it and insult you better."  
"Hey!"

"Glad to see you guys are getting along." A new voice. A new, _sarcastic_ voice. Dammit! I'm the only who gets to use dripping sarcasm like that!The trainer walked up and picked up Charm.

"Meowth, meow, meow."  
"Cue! Cubone, bo!"  
"Meeoowwth!"  
"Cubone, CUE!"

They were still fighting.

The trainer rolled his eyes and took a ball from his pocket. Charm's eyes went wide and he immediately shut up. Thank God. The trainer tossed the ball over his shoulder and Charm lunged after it, chasing it across the room. The trainer gave an exasperated sigh and undid the latch on Kara's cage.

"Sorry about that," he said, taking her out. "Charm isn't the best with first impressions."  
"Cue? Cubone." Okay, so she was nervous again, but at least she wasn't stuttering like earlier.  
"Yeah! I'm gonna be your new trainer, and we'll be traveling together."

Well, I _guess_ he seemed nice enough. I'd almost relaxed when the front door to the building slammed open. Oh fuck, now my head hurt again.

Into the room stepped a... Well, I would say Pokemon trainer, but he sure as hell didn't look like one. He was wearing a suit, I think, and beside him walked a nose-stuck-in-the-air Grovyle.

You could just _smell_ the haughty arrogance coming off of him. Have you heard of love at first sight? Well, this was hate at first sight.

"Hello, I was told that you could purchase Pokemon here?"  
"Gro. Grovyle."

"Um, yes?" the human sitting behind the wood block looked freaked out. I didn't blame her.

"Very good. Where is your selection?"

"Okay, the Dumbass human from earlier is off the Death List. Now this Prat is at the top of it," I muttered.  
Apparently, Prat heard me, even though he didn't understand me.

"What is that over there?"  
"And what did it just call Master?"

Oh fuck. Oh fuckfuckfuckfuck. Prat noticed me, and obviously my cursed golden fur, too. And joy of joys, the damn Grovyle had heard what I'd said.

"Um, that, sir, is what's known as a shiny Vulpix. Uh, sir."  
Wow. I was actually feeling sorry for that human. What's wrong with me?

"How much for it?"  
No.

"Um, that would be 10,000 dollars, please, uh, sir."  
Oh no.

"Quite cheap, don't you think?"  
I am not going with him.

"Um, yes?"  
I said no.

"Alrighty, then, here you go!"  
I would rather die.

"Um, thank you, sir. You may go pick up your Vulpix now."  
A slow, painful death.

"You're very much welcome. Come Grovyle."  
Please kill me now.

"Grovyle. Gro."  
I said now.

"Let's have a look at you, then." Prat bent down in front of my cage.  
"Gro."

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

And I did what any self-respecting Vulpix should do in danger. Ember at point-blank range.

"Aaaahhh!!! My beautiful face!!"

Wow. Of all the reactions he could've had, that was the one I least expected.

**~o****0****o~**

**Hi guys! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate it. Also, I changed the rating from K+ to T for a lot of cussing.**

**And normally, I love Grovyle and Meowth, but they come off really easily as arrogant.**

**Anyway, everyone, please review or PM me and tell me how the story is doing so far or how I could improve it. Also, I put a poll on my profile, please vote on it.**

**Shadow out!**


	3. Stuck with Prat

**ShadowJolteon here, with another chapter! **

**If you were a bit worried about all the cussing, it's got to do with Amber's personality. The more she's mad or nervous, the more she cusses. It's her way of letting off steam and covering her feelings. Even so, I went back and changed it a bit. **

**Thank you FireOkami-Kitsune, GRX3m0m, Sora532, and FirebirdXoX for reviewing! **

**Sorry this chapter took so long, but my parents grounded me and changed the password on the computer. I also had a bit of writer's block. **

**Anyway, enough excuses, please read on!  
**

**~o0o~  
**

The Fate of an Outcast

Chapter 3 – Stuck with Prat

"Aaaahhh!!! My beautiful face!!"

Wow. Of all the reactions he could've had, that was the one I least expected.

On the other side of the room, Charm stopped playing with the ball, Kara stopped cursing her shortness (she couldn't get on top of the chair), the trainer stopping rifling through his pack, and they all stared at Prat, who was now running in circle, screaming and frantically trying to put out the fire in his hair. All three burst out laughing.

"Hey! A human torch!" I snickered.

Trainer tried (and failed) to stifle a laugh as he pulled out a Pokeball. Tossing it in the air, he called out, "Come on out, Sapphire," then tried to stop laughing again. Didn't work.

A Vaporeon appeared with that blank look that's always on its face as she calmly surveyed the situation. Just how the hell was she not laughing? Trainer (I need to think of a demeaning name for him) barely managed to call a Watergun before he broke down laughing again.

Okay, it wasn't _that_ funny.

Sapphire simply shot the water at the human torch and sat back down again. How can you be _that_ devoid of emotion?  
Prat collapsed in the middle of the room, face-skidding to a halt. Growling, he pushed himself up to a standing position, glaring at me with hands clenched into fists. Now that I could see him clearly, I burst out laughing again. His face and hair were charred black and his hair was still smoking. I swear I could even see steam coming off of him!

He pointed at me. "Grovyle, Leaf Blade!"

Uh-oh. Needless to say, my laugh died.

Faster than I could see (okay, so I could see. Whatever, it was fast), I found myself torn out of the cage and pinned against the wall by that damn Grovyle. Just how did I know that we were definitely_ not_ going to get along?

Prat walked forward. "It would seem as if it has some discipline issues, wouldn't you say so, Grovyle?"  
"Gro," snarled Grovyle, glaring at me.

Wow. So Prat had actually lowered himself to talking to his Pokemon like semi-sentient beings. I was impressed. On the other side of the room, the morons and Kara had stopped laughing at the human torch (who was now the _soaked_ human torch) and looked… I guess the term is concerned. Well, except for Sapphire. And Kara looked like she was about to tear off Prat's head. Such a happy picture.

Prat leaned forward so that he was in my face. "We'll just have to change that, won't we?"

I smirked. "Vulpix vul." (Translation: Big mistake.)

I opened my mouth and out came a torrent of fire, scorching both Prat and Grovyle.

Apparently the double-dosage of Vulpix fire was too much for the kid. He simply coughed a small cloud of soot and collapsed. Grovyle, though, was pretty much doing the exact same thing that Prat had been doing earlier. Namely: running around in a circle, desperately trying to put the fire out, and screaming the whole time. What fun.

Well, while they were busy I walked over to Kara, who was now laughing at the Grovyle.

"Well, gonna miss you, Kara."  
"You too, Amber."

We gazed at the odd scene before us for a bit.

Finally, she spoke. "Hey, maybe we'll see each other again." She sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, maybe." Best to keep both our spirits up. "Lemme guess, your trainer's going for the Kanto badges?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I talked to Charm about it. Apparently he's already got four badges."  
"Cool. Halfway there already."

Suddenly all I could see was red light coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Damn pokeball.

I turned my head in the general direction I thought Kara was and spoke. "See ya, Kare."

Then there was nothing at all.

**~o****0****o~**

Dear reader, do you know what it's like to be inside of a Pokeball? It's very confusing. There's nothing there. And if you're thinking a kind of white nothing, then you're wrong. By nothing, there is absolutely _nothing._ No light at all. But since there's nothing there, there can't be darkness or shadows there either.  
So it's kind of a swirling, dark gray mass that surrounds you on all sides. You can't even see your own paw in front of your nose, even when you feel yourself moving. You feel like a ghost, or spirit, or something else, and your first thought is, _Am I dead?_ And it is very hard to tell the difference. But then you start to remember things and find out that no, you didn't die, a dumbass jerk with an ego the size of Mars pointed a red-and-white ball at you and pushed a button. And with a red flash, you're inside this hellhole that's not a hellhole.

Then comes all the cursing.

**~o****0****o~  
**  
"Go Vulpix! Show your worth!"

A flash of red light, and I was out of that nothingness hellhole. I looked up. There in front of me was a six-foot-tall monstrous _plant._ Begin the daytime-nightmare.  
"I choose you, Victreebel!"

Oh crap.

**~o****0****o~**

**  
Wow, this chapter was hard to write. And it's mostly just filler. I'll try to update the next chapter faster to make up for this one. Please tell me about any mistakes or anyway I could improve it. Criticism welcomed, but no flaming without reason.**

**Anyway, what other pokemon do you think Amber's new trainer should have? No super-strong pokemon please.**

**Remember, more reviews = better, faster updates, and a happy author. So click the pretty green button at the bottom of the screen. You know you want to.**


	4. Gym Battle and Legendaries

**Hey there guys. Here's another chapter for ya.**

**Thank you, FirebirdXoX and KomodoDragoness for reviewing.  
Firebird, I looked at your story and saw the page-break on that too. They're exactly the same. Weird, huh?**

**Anyway, this chapter has Amber fighting in a Gym Battle. Please R&R!  
**

**~o****0****o~  
**

The Fate of an Outcast

Chapter 4 – Gym Battle and Legendaries

A flash of red light, and I was out of that nothingness hellhole. I looked up. There in front of me was a six-foot-tall monstrous _plant._ Begin the daytime-nightmare.

"I choose you, Victreebel!"

Oh fuck.

As I later found out, we were inside the Celadon City's Gym. The place was green and pink pretty much everywhere, and – oh wait, no that was all the _plants_ that were green and pink. I'd thought it was paint. They were literally _everywhere._ No, really. Everywhere. On the floor everywhere, they had vines and clinging plants climbing up the walls (both inside, _and_ outside), hell. They even had plants hanging from the ceiling. It was a giant fire hazard and an explosion with all the... What's it called? Perfume? Yeah, perfume. An explosion just waiting to happen. I mean, wow. The gym leader must really be some kind of obsessive gardener/perfumist freak. Speaking of which...

"That must be quite a high-level Vulpix you have there." The gym leader said.

I think she was wearing some kind of Japanese dress. I don't know. But it had flower and leaf designs sewn all over it. Yup. Obsessive gardener.

"Really? What makes you say that, Leader Erika?"

Oh yeah. Prat. I'd almost forgotten he was there. Amazing what an olfactory nightmare will do to your mind. Huh. I didn't know he was actually capable of giving respect. Ooh, I'd need to remind myself later to torch him, for putting me in that damn Pokeball. Oh, no, scratch that. Make it _twice,_ for putting me in the Pokeball _and_ this battle.

"From the way she's ignoring you." Okay, fine, I'll admit it. I did like her when she said that.

"It's a she?" Okay, I honestly had not thought that he was so stupid. Nearly all Vulpix are female, and just what are the chances of seeing a male shiny Vulpix? Really.

"Yes, of course."

Okay. I was sick of this. I promptly turned around and blew a stream of fire at Prat's head. His eyes widened, and he yelped, barely dodging it. Good for him. It showed that he could actually learn instead of just pay others to learn for him.

He stood back up, seething. Ooh, I guess I had hit him with it. The top part of his head was charred black. Again. Hm? No, I still owe him two Embers to the face. That was just an extra one the moron earned.

The gym leader, or apparently, Erika, laughed. "It would seem like your Vulpix would like to battle. You may have the first move."

"What? Oh, um, Vulpix, use Tail Whip!"

Idiot. If you have a free minute in battle, use an attack that haunts the opponent, in a way. I did this by leaping a bit closer to the pitcher plant monster and unleashing Will-O-Wisp at it. I could've used Ember, but that attack only has a small chance of burning the foe, whereas Will-O-Wisp has one hundred percent chance.

"Victreebel, counter with Poison Powder!" The plant uncrossed its eyes, raised its leaf-arms to release... Purple powder?

"Vulpix, use Quick Attack to dodge the spores and attack!" Imbecile. I simply moved into an attacking position and released a small Ember to burn the spores, then a larger, stronger one to hurt the plant itself. Never use any of the -powder or -spore moves on a fire type. Because they can simply burn the spores with a small bit of fire.

Plant-freak shrieked and clutched at its face, greatly reminding me of the Carnivine from my ever-recurring nightmare. Which, truthfully, made me hate plants even more. Odd, isn't it?

Both Erika and Victreebel growled, Erika probably from frustration, Victreebel because my fire attacks probably hurt a lot. I guess it's taking more damage from the burn than I thought.

"Victreebel, Acid!" Huh. Okay, now I'll use Quick Attack. My paws zoomed under me as I raced toward the plant, then dodged nimbly as it shot a sludge of poison at me. I sped in circles around the plant, making numerous Acid attacks miss without trying, and throwing in an attack of my own now and then.

"You will die!" hissed the yellow plant, looking furious at all the misses.  
"Oh, wow, the evil-looking pitcher plant can actually talk!" I pretended to be quite surprised. "What other miracles will the world throw at us?"

Unfortunately, the hate-talk distracted me and made a well-aimed, powerful Sludge Bomb hit its mark. Oh Mew. Please believe me when I say this, you do _not_ want to be anywhere near a sludge bomb. If it was simply a damaging move, then I could stand it, but the _smell!_ It smells kind of like five hundred gallons of curdled milk mixed in with a used diaper plant with a half-ton of smelly shoes thrown into the mix. All that plus a large variety of rotten fruits and decomposing bodies.

And. It. Was. In. My. Fur. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

"Good job, Victreebel, you poisoned her!" Oh yeah, I forgot about the very likely poisoning.

So that's what the dizziness and blurry eyes were. Oh, no, my mistake. The dizziness was from the poisoning, the blurry eyes were from the smell. Oh Mew, the _smell!!_ Okay, it was decided. The Victreebel would pay. (Wow, I'm actually using its proper name for once. Strange.)

I shook my head and the dizziness subsided a little. I glared at the plant, growling. It returned my glare, hissing. I smirked. _And who said Vulpix couldn't learn Taunt?_

I opened my mouth, and out came a full-power Flamethrower. It was one of my Egg moves. Victreebel's eyes went wide as the torrent of fire engulfed it and slammed it into the far wall.

"That's what you deserve for getting that crap in my fur!" I yelled after it, starting to feel dizzy again.

"Good job, Vulpix," said Prat. How did I know that he was going to say something that would make me hate him even more?

"It seems as though all our training has finally paid off." Well, I was right. And since there was quite a lot of cussing then, and I want this story to keep its T rating, I shall simply put in little stars for my curses.

" YOU *******! YOU DID ABSOLUTELY ******* NOTHING TO TRAIN ME! YOU SIMPLY TOOK ME FROM THAT ******** OF A PRIZESHOP! WITHOUT EVEN LETTING ME ******* SAY A ******* DECENT GOOD-BYE TO THE ONLY FRIEND I HAD IN THAT ******* PLACE! AND YOU ARE SO ******* LUCKY THAT YOU HAVE THAT ******* POKEBALL! BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WOULD RIP YOUR ******* FACE OFF AND ROAST YOU ALIVE!

Even if you have only a very basic knowledge of curses, I'd say that you could fill in the blanks pretty darn well.

"Um... Right..." Damn human hadn't understood a word I'd said. Grovyle, however, the only other Pokemon out of its ball that wasn't unconscious, had eyes so wide you could practically jump through them, and was pretty much frozen in place. I bet he didn't know that I knew so many curse words. See, my family had used to live really close to Lilycove in Hoenn, before we moved to Mt. Pyre, and... Let's just say that I learned some stuff from the sailors there.

I took a step forward, getting ready to torch Prat's head again, when suddenly I stumbled. What was happening? The floor was going crazy shaking up and down and side to side. An earthquake? No, I couldn't feel any tremors with my paws and the others didn't seem to be affected by it at all. Suddenly a shock of pain burst inside my skull. Oh... Yeah... The poisoning...

I stumbled again and finally fell. My eyelids were fluttering closed. I was only half-aware of was someone carrying me off the battlefield. I tried to get a look at him, her, or it, (?) but I couldn't move. Okay, it's official. I hate poison-types. The last thing I was conscious of was Prat ordering Grovyle to start the next match with Aerial Ace. And just as everything was fading to black, my rarely-seen optimist side piped up.

_Hey, you know, there is a bright side to this._

_Really? And want would that be? Finally beating that plant freak?_

_Well, yes, but you also finally told Prat what you thought of him._

I smiled to myself. Hey, it was true, wasn't it? Even if he couldn't understand me, I felt a whole lot better now. And I got to teach that damn plant a lesson too. Namely: Don't get anything gross, smelly, or anything related in my fur or you will pay dearly.

Now, my next mission: get that smelly crap out of my fur.

**~o0o~**

_  
"It is an abomination! We must get rid of it!" roared a tall, white-colored Pokemon.  
"No! I refuse to partake in this! After all, it's still a pokemon, after all!" answered a large, grey, snake-like dragon with black and red bands across its front.  
"Be careful of what you say in my presence, renegade. I just might decide to send you back to the underworld for eternity."  
The dragon laughed. "It wouldn't matter, as I am already dead! If you want help with this escapade of yours, go talk to that cursed Dark-type that you've been in contact with lately."  
"I will not be subjected to this!"  
"Oh no, of course not. You'd get your hooves all dirty."  
"How dare you!"  
"Exactly. How dare I. All that I'm saying is, if you insist on going through with this, I will become your enemy."  
"You know very well that you would be no match against me."  
"Maybe not. But I do know a certain psychic cat who's a very good friend of mine."  
The white pokemon narrowed its eyes. "You wouldn't."  
The dragon laughed again. "Oh, I would."_

**~o0o~  
**

**And that concludes Chapter 4. To be quite honest, I think it was the best one yet. What do you think?**

**Also, I put a poll on my profile, of what pokemon should Amber's trainer also have.**

**There are 8 choices, and you can vote 4 times. Choices are: Rampardos, Dustox, Gengar, Cacturne, Donphan, Umbreon, Manectric, and Kabutops.**

**Everyone who reviews or votes gets a cyber cookie.**

**Reviews = faster, better, updates. And a happy author.**


	5. Lighten up, Amber!

**Uh, I feel horrible about updating this so late, but the password on my home computer is still locked, and this website is blocked on the stupid school computers. I hate being grounded.**

**And because I took so long, here's a chapter twice as long as it normally is, with a bit more insight into the plot!**

**Thank you FirebirdXoX, GRX3m0m, Arcy911913, KomodoDragoness, Sentry's Vigil, tracefan, and Cheese222 for reviewing!**

**Anyway, please read, enjoy, and review.**

**~o0o~**

The Fate of an Outcast

Chapter 5 – Lighten up, Amber!

Some time later, (I really have no idea how long) I awoke to see a pink, smiling face filling my vision. I screamed, fell off of the bed-stretcher whatever the hell it was called, scrabbled at air for a second before hitting the ground. I then pressed myself against the wall of the Pokemon Center, as far away as I could get from the Chansey.

Stop your laughing right now! Those fatso Chansey are actually extremely creepy! Always pink, and smiling, and... ugh! And I know that sounds incredibly emo, but it's true.

"Yay! You're awake!" and apparently they have unnaturally high-pitched voices. My ears hurt already.  
"You're awake! You're awake! You're awake!" she was jumping up and down and clapping, making her blubbery skin wiggle. I started muttering.

"Don't kill the fatso. Don't kill the fatso. You're in a public place and you won't be able to escape. Don't kill the fatso." I said stop laughing! You would've done the same thing! The door opened, and in walked a pink-haired nurse carrying a clipboard.

"Oh, good. She's awake. Thank you for looking after her, Chansey."  
"Chansey, chansey, chan, chan!"

Don't kill the fatso. Don't kill the fatso. Stop laughing, dammit!

The door to the room opened again and in walked another nurse with Prat, Grovyle, and a Manectric entering behind her. Prat was arguing with the pink-haired nurse. Wait, both had pink hair. Odd. Whatever, the second one.

"But will it be able to battle?" such a concerned trainer.

"Not for a few days, at least. The poisoning has weakened her, and we think her flame-sac might've been damaged as well." a torrent of fire gushed towards the two. Prat screamed, and dove to the floor, barely dodging it, while the nurse simply ducked down calmly.

"I stand corrected," she commented. Aw, poor human. What other fire-types did she have to deal with?

The Chansey had finally stopped jumping up and down, and was now standing in a corner, humming to herself. Weird.

The first pink-haired nurse picked me up and put me back on the table-stretcher-whatever the hell it's called I had just fallen off of. You're probably wondering why I wasn't biting, clawing, kicking, or just plain breathing fire everywhere. Here's why: She hadn't earned it yet. Anyway, she felt my fur, checked my teeth, took my temperature, (With the thermometer that goes in the mouth, thank you very much. Jerks.) and all that other crap.

I looked again at the Manectric. He didn't seem like an obedient robot, like Grovyle, but I couldn't really tell yet. Oh well. I could at least get some information from him.

"Hey, Manectric," I called out, as the nurse stuck some fluffy thing in my ear. She was starting to creep me out. He looked up. "Come here," I said, leaning away from the nurse. He walked forward.

"Yeah?"

"How did that battle end? I was poisoned and passed out before the end of it." Damn human finally stopped messing with my ear.

"Well, we won, and we got the badge, but the prize money was pretty pathetic."  
"You're a Pokemon," I said skeptically. "What do you know about human money?"  
"From the way Jerk was complaining about it."

"Huh. Okay. Anyway, the name's Amber," I said, offering my paw.  
He stared at it for a second before extending his own blue foreleg. "I'm called Ridge."  
We touched paws, then put them back down. Universally, that's how four-legged pokemon greet. It's like the humans' version of shaking hands. At least, I think so.

"So what's the story with Prat?" I asked, motioning towards him. "Why does he have us, and where are we-" and that particular sentence ended in a yelp, and then an enraged shriek, as I spun around and blasted a full-power Flamethrower at the pink-haired nurse behind me who had very, very, stupidly pulled one of my tails.

"YOU *beep*! YOU DO NOT *beep* PULL MY TAILS, YOU-" and then another long string of cursing, that believe me, you're better off not knowing.

**~o0o~  
**

"What was that?" Ridge asked me after we left the Pokemon Center. We'd been kicked out and banned from ever returning because of all the damage I'd done to the apparently expensive healing machines, the walls, equipment, nurses, and pretty much everything else that had been in that room, and a little beyond it.

Hey, you cannot blame me for that. Entirely the dumbass nurse's fault. I mean really. Everyone knows that you don't just pull a Vulpix's tail. Even if it's not a Ninetales yet with the thousand-year-curse, (I can't wait for that!) a Vulpix can still inflict tons of damage on it's "attacker" (instinct talk, don't ask) if it feels it's in danger. Do you know what the nurse's excuse was? Checking my reaction time.

"What do you mean?" I asked putting on my best innocent act, complete with wide, sparkly blue eyes and a confused tilt of the head.

"I mean all the cursing. Where did you even learn words like that? And what was with the torching everyone?" Apparently he hadn't noticed. Damn electric dog. Innocent acts do not work if the person (or pokemon) can't even see it!

"Oh, fine," I said exasperatedly. "The cussing came from Lilycove. I used to live there before we moved to Mt. Pyre, and I learned it from the sailors there."  
"And the torching everyone?" he asked as we walked around some fat guy showing off a Poliwrath.

"Simple. They were pissing me off."  
He rolled his eyes. "Well that's just a perfect answer!"

"Yes, it is."

We were now walking down the road to the PokeMart to stock up on items since we couldn't heal at the Center anymore. We were traveling to Saffron, and then Cerulean, to visit Prat's rich aunt. No idea what for.

We walked past a sign in human language that said-

Find what you need at  
CELADON DEPARTMENT STORE

Now, me personally, I had no idea what it said, but Ridge seemed to understand it.

"Celadon Department Store," he murmured. "We go into the next building."

"You mean this one?" I said, stopping in front of a large, skyscraper-like building with blue-tinted windows.

"That would be it," he said, entering. Of course, Prat was already inside. I cussed him out and followed suit, stepping into the air-conditioned building.

Inside, the room of the first floor was fairly big, with orange floor tiles and a sofa (I think that's what it's called) at each end of the room. Taking up almost all the space in the middle of the room was a huge receptionist desk (got that word from Grovyle) with one skinny lady sitting behind it. No sign of any goods or anything on this floor at all. What was the point of this room? Basically it's just a waste of space, time, and money. Typical human thinking right there.

Prat walked up to the counter.

"Excuse me, miss, but could you direct me to the floor where I might buy some potions?" Charming, but still manages to make you want to kill him with every word. Not many can do that, you know.

"Um, that would be on the second floor, uh, sir." she seemed flustered. Did Prat have that effect on all human females? Cause that's just freaky.

"Thank you very much, miss," he said bowing low. Then, in a sharper tone, "Manectric! Vulpix! Come!" as he walked to the stairs.

Ridge fell in behind him, and I reluctantly followed, trying not to cuss out the human. Instead, I imitated him in an annoying, nasally voice.

"Manectric! Vulpix! Come!" I snorted. "Just who the hell does he think he is?"

Ridge decided to answer. "Well, he thinks he's a half-way decent trainer."

"It was a rhetorical question!" I snapped at him as I puffed and ran up the flight of stairs. Vulpix were not designed for stairsteps. Besides, months in a cage with next to nothing exercise and crappy pellet food will turn your muscles to mush.

He shrugged. "It was answered anyway."

"Oh shut up!" I plunked myself down beside the nearest shelf of goods. Prat selected a few items from the shelf and walked up to the counter to pay the clerk. Grovyle went with him, Ridge went browsing through the aisles, and I stayed right where I was.

"What are you talking about?" That was Prat, apparently arguing with the clerk about something.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't accept Hoenn currency." Arguing about money. Of course. What else?  
"Well, then, what about this?"

Oh boy. This was going to take awhile. I was tired. Those healing machines at the Pokemon Center may be able to heal injuries, but hell, they make you tired. I yawned.

I was just drifting off to sleepland when a flash of pink went across my vision and I opened my eyes. But all I could see was a small, four-legged blur of pink running up the stairs. I don't know what possessed me to get up and chase after it but I did. As I raced up the stairwell after it, I heard Ridge calling after me, but I ignored him and kept going.

At each floor, I saw the strange Pokemon sitting at the foot of the stairs, but then running up the other set as soon as I was close enough to see it. Eventually, I reached the top floor, with the vending machines. I set paw on the last step and heaved myself up, breathing heavily. Hey, I told you Vulpix weren't designed for stairwells! I just stood there as I tried to catch my breath.

Damn fast pokemon.

Anyway, my head cleared, and I stepped forward onto the light purple tiles that made up the floor. I looked up at the railing on the far side of the Rooftop Square and saw the pokemon again. Except, big difference, it wasn't running this time. Whoop-dee-freaking-doo. It was sitting neatly on the very edge of the railing with perfect balance.

I stepped towards it. "What the hell was that? "

No reaction from it.

I walked closer. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Still no reaction.

I walked almost all the way up to it and finally saw what it was. It was an Espeon, with the standard pink fur and two-ended tail that comes with the species. Suddenly, it spoke.

"I just love Celadon City, don't you? It's so festive!" Judging from the voice, it was female.  
"What?"  
"I said-"  
"No, I mean..." I shook my head. "Who are you?"

She looked at me oddly. "What do you mean?"  
"I mean, who are you? And why did you make me follow you all the way up here?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, as far as my name goes, you can call me Myth."  
"Myth?"  
"Yes. Mmmmyyyyytttthhhhhh. Gosh, you're not too bright for a Vulpix, are you?"

"Hey! I understood perfectly fine! It's just a pretty damn unoriginal name for a psychic type!"She blinked. "Your point being what?"

"Just forget it! Why did you make me follow you?"

"Okay! Forgotten!" she said with a smile. "Anyway, I didn't make you follow me. You did that all by yourself."  
"What?" Okay, I'm saying 'what' way too much. Plus, I wanted to strangle the eon. And I'm pretty sure that's not normal. Especially since I don't have any hands.  
"Okay, so I did make you follow me." Her face lost the smile and she suddenly turned serious. "But I have to tell you something."

Uh-oh. Trust the foreboding feeling, people!

She jumped down from the railing and faced me. She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, they were a faintly glowing blue. She spoke, and it was with a slightly robotic voice.

"Beware of where your footsteps will lead you. For when you walk in the Valley of Shadows, you will meet the ghost of Death. I cannot foretell whether you will live or die, but do not despair. You will have a friend who will help you on your way, wherever it may lead."

Insert awkward silence here. And cue the crickets!

I shook myself out of the hypnotic stupor I'd been in. "Wait, what? Are you telling me I'm gonna die?!" I was yelling now. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?!"

She ignored me and jumped back onto the railing, surveying the surrounding city. She spoke again. "You have been warned."  
"WHAT THE *beep* DO YOU MEAN?!"

She turned to me, and I saw that her eyes were back to normal. As well as her personality.

"Lighten up on the cursing, Amber. It's annoying."  
"What-" I sputtered, "How-how the hell do you even know my name?"  
"Like I said, Amber! Lighten up!" An annoying smile, a wink, and she was gone.

Oh crap, she'd fallen off the railing!

I raced forward and looked down frantically, searching for a falling eeveelution.

But... Well, there was no pink eon, and no pink eon splat on the ground.

I jumped back down, seething. "Damn psychic type teleporting away!" I started to walk back towards the stairs and started imitating again. "Oh, I know, why don't I scare the crap out of this Vulpix by making her think I just fell off the railing and died!"

I turned back towards the railing. "Hey, Espeon! The next time I see you, I'm gonna wring your furry pink neck! You hear me?!" And no answer. Of course. Damn psychic type.

I met up with Ridge halfway down the second flight of stairs. "What was that?" he asked.

"Don't know what you're talking about," I growled, stomping past the Manectric.

"Oh, really?" He stepped in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. "I see you suddenly bolt up the stairs as if your life depended on it, and I try and chase after you, only to hear you screaming obscenities and threats at an Espeon that wasn't even there! So you don't know anything about that?"

"Fine! I _do _know something about that, but why don't you ask the damn psychic type that decided to teleport away!" I walked around him, but stopped when he said something else.

"Amber, Espeon can't even learn Teleport!"

What?

I turned back. "Fine, then you explain how the furball disappeared!"

**~o0o~**

**And that's the end of chapter 5! And we get two new characters, Ridge the Manectric and Myth the Espeon. I'll tell you this about their roles; Ridge will be a secondary main character for the next five or so chapters, then he'll disappear. Myth will appear randomly throughout the entire story for small, but important appearances.****And as usual, please review and tell me what you think.**


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